The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-01-19
OUR FARMERS CLUBS.
What our Farmers are Doing and How
the Work of Organizing is Progressing.
TRINITY CLUB.
Subject-Plant Beds and the Tobacco
CrOD.

Subject-Plont Beds and the Tobacco
Crop.
w. 0. Harris. | have my doubts
whether it is prudent for any Of us
to burn beds or plant crops Of tobac-
co, if we conclude however to
plant another crop of tobacco.
After maturely st udying the
situation it is very important to
begin in time and thoroughly pre-
pare and SOW your plant bed. Select
natural loam, clear of gravel with
an abundant supply Of plants for
your entire crop and replanting
We have been too extravagant, most
of us, with wood in burning beds
To avoid this waste of wood clear
off the place and dig straight down
with your mattOck, not reversing
the soil, and then burn the brush,
trash and inferior qualities of wood.
If the land be fresh, as it ought to
be, it will require less burning.
After this re-dig and burn again.
All turfs should be raked off before
the last burning Now rake finely
after sowing the phosphate to
Incorporate 1T in the soil before
sowing the seed. Th en- SOW
one and one-half spoonfuls to 100
square yards, of the Gooch variety.
We select this variety because it is
the easiest to cure yellow. We pre-
fer bright article to more wei ght
Sow any time from the first Of Janu-
ary to the first of March, when the
ground is not too wet New ground
and Old pine fields are best adapted.
Heavy clay lands are not suitable,
making a heavy, coarse leaf that will
not cure bright.
Plant fewer acres and cultivate
thoroughly, beginning as soon as it
will admit after setting. Don't set
them when too wet. Rather than
mortgage a crop for fertilizers [
would hire out to work at 25 cents a
day. | should have cautioned you
to dig trenches around and across
your plant beds so that they may
be thoroughly drained in wet sea-
sons
]. E. Sumner [ agree with Mr..
Harris in his. sowing and manage
ment Of the plant beds. But | am
not so we'll satisfied about the pro-
priety of cultivating it at all. The
damage of land and the general risk
overbalances the chances Of gain.
In this section where timbered land
is valuable and scarce it is not ad-
visable to cut down and clear up
for tobacco crop alone. The to-
bacco crop requires SO much atten-
ton and labor that it necessarily
compels us to neglect other impor-
tant work on the farm, such as cul-
tivating other crops and preparing
the lands for fall seeding and the
general improvements needed on a
farm. Notwithstanding some of
my land is we'll adapted to the
growth of tobacco [ have concluded
not to plant any this year.
A. Parker [ have had but little
experience in tobacco culture. Be
fore l began it [ first counted the
cost and consequently did not ex-
pCCU UlS CullSS. 1dOhOi ChihN o'
yet | am damaged by it. However
as | have been at the expense of
building barns and other necessary
preparations for this special crop, l
propose trying it still further |
shall select two or three acres of my
land best adapted to it's growth and
endeavor to make first class article.
For two horse farm, | would think
two or three acres a plenty. [ would
not mortgage my crop for fertilizers
Or supplies, but would rather borrow
the money at 8 per cent and pay
cash for them, and thereby save the
exorbitant rate charged time buy
erS.
B. F. Steed / am satisfied that we
can make more money on the tobac-
co crop than we can growing grain
crops, on the same ground. We ad-
NIT that the past years have not
been very favorable to the growth
of tobacco, and | have known sea-
SOnl when wheat and corn failed as